Portland-Area Office Vacancy Increases During Second Quarter

Central City office vacancy increased to 12.73% during the Second Quarter, with negative 242,145 sf absorbed. About 40,000 sf of this negative absorption was from multiple tenants leaving the historic Stevens Building. The Church of Scientology of Portland purchased it in 2008 and planned to inhabit the whole building, but it was found to be unsuitable for the organization and is for sale. This quarter the Church of Scientology bought downtown’s historic Sherlock Building for $6.4 million to serve as its new home. In a highly-anticipated decision, the Portland Development Commission opted to remain at its current location in Old Town (but in 10,000 fewer sf), rather than move to the stalled Park Avenue West, its other primary option. It is uncertain when construction will restart at Park Avenue West, as the project lacks financing. Active tenants downtown include alternative energy groups, who seek environmentally friendly buildings. Many tenants are also seeking moderatelypriced Class A buildings with quality buildouts.

Suburban office vacancy rose about two percentage points to 23.92%, with negative absorption of 179,725 sf. This is the 7th consecutive quarter of negative absorption for the suburbs. Kruse Way saw the most significant increase in vacancy, from just under 23% last quarter to 29.36% during Second Quarter. Kruse Woods V had nearly 100,000 sf of negative absorption, as Northwest Evaluation Association vacated about 108,000 sf to move to the former Port of Portland building in Central City. However, Black & Veatch filled some of the space at Kruse Woods V, leasing about 25,000 sf. Vacancy in I-5 South rose significantly to 28.10%, but some large leases occurred, including State Farm’s lease of nearly 24,000 sf at Fanno Creek Building B. Brokers are seeing a flight to quality in the suburban submarkets, with healthy activity in nicer buildings.

Vancouver vacancy rose slightly to 18.55%, with negative 11,634 sf absorbed. The most significant deal was the $18.5 million sale of The Columbian Building to the City of Vancouver for its new city hall. The 118,000 sf building, previously listed at $41.5 million, was turned over to Bank of America early this year after the Columbian Publishing Co. filed for bankruptcy.

The full report is available here.